Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. FASHING.

GAR COUPLING. N0 -276,168. Patented Apr. 24, 1883.-

INVENTOR ilTNESSES 1 (77 T Z 07/70 m6 @717, m a. %42/%% ATTORNEY NITEDSTATES J OHN FASHING, OF .WINFIELD, KANSAS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,168, dated April24, 1883.

Applioationfiled February 28, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN FAsHrNe, a citizenof the United States, residing at Winfield, in the county of Cowley andState of Kansas,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of thedrawings is a perspective view of my invention; Fig. 2, alongitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 3 a top plan view of I 5 thesame.

This invention relates to that class of carcouplers in which thecoupling is automatically efi'ected by the coming together of theopposing draw-heads, and uncoupled from the sides or top of the cars bymeans of suitable leverconnections, to avoid the necessity of the'brakeman or train -hand entering between said cars 5 and the objects ofthe present invention are to provide such a car-coupler as 2 5 will beat once simple and inexpensive in its construction, effective in itsoperation, and readily adapted to any car to automatically couple,regardless of an existing difference in height of the opposing car.These objects I attain by the construction substantially as shown in theaccompanying drawings, and hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, A represents a car or cars provided with draw-heads B,in which are pivotally hung latches 0 upon drawbars a. These draw-headsB are formed with a recess, 1), at their rear, in order to more readilyadmit the opposing latch, the latches being hung in such a way as to beopposite the recessed side in each draw-head, and of a size just halfthe width between the sides of said draw-heads, so that when the carsare coupled together the said latches will come snugly against eachother, and thereby be prevented from moving laterally on the draw-bars.These latches O are cut away at their rear ends to form shoulders c,which abut against a stop, at, on the under side of each draw-head,thereby preventing the heads 6 of said latches from falling out of theirproper position when the cars are uncoupled. The draw-heads B areprovided with extensions f, working in suitable guides upon the undersurface of the cars, and the jar of the cars comingtogether compensatedby a suitable spring, 9, interposed between these 5 5 extensions aboutmidway of each car.

To each of the latches 0, just back of the head 6, is connected a shortchain, h, which in turn connects with a rod, 2", attached to a lever,

D, having its bearing upon a block, it, at the top of the car, thepurpose of the short chains being to form a flexible connection, as whenthe latch is raised the rod will fall in toward the car.

To the levers D are also connected rods l, extending down through thedraw heads at each end of the car, and in turn connecting with the rearend of a lever-arm, E, journaled in bearings m upon the under side ofthe drawheads, the outer end of said lever-arm being provided with asuitable head, a, which bears against the head of the latch on theopposing car when the rod l is operated.

Connected to the rods liu any suitable mannor are levers F upon the endsof the cars, and 7 extending out from the sides thereof within easyreach of the brakeman or train-hand, so that these rods connecting withthe lever-arms E maybe operated from the side as well as the top.

When the cars are uncoupled the latches of their own weight assume theposition shown in Fig. 1, their shoulders c preventing them from fallinglower, thereby causing them to be always ready for. coupling. As theopposing 8 cars come in contact the heads 6 of the latches G strike thedraw-bars a, and, being beveled on theirouter faces, readily riseagainst said drawbars until the point 0 is passed, thereby automaticallyeffecting a coupling, the latches be- 0 ing cut away upon their underside, substantially as shown, and their weight causing them to alwaysassume the position shown in Fig.

1, when not otherwise acted upon.

Should it be desired to uucouple the cars 5 from the top, one of thelevers D is depressed, thereby causing the rod 5 and itschain-connection attached thereto to raise the latch with which itconnects, the lever-arm E being operated at the same time to raise thelatch of the too opposing car, thus readily and quickly uncoupling thecars with one motion, the latches of each car automatically adjustingthemselves to position for recoupling.

In uncoupling the cars from the side, one of the levers F, connectingwith the rod 1, is depressed, which in turn depresses the lever D a andcauses the action just described, these 1evcrs F being connected to eachend of the car in such a manner as to have their handles extend outwardfrom the sides in opposite directions, and when not in use rest uponsuitable projections, r.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

Witnesses:

E. R. BARNES, GEORGE T. BAGASTOW.

